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Note: Some of the articles linked to this subdirectory will be subject to
revisions. In a couple of cases, they haven't actually yet been written.
Considering the modest size of the old place, Britain has a remarkably rich number
of localities for Mesozoic mammals and their nearest relatives. Dates presently
extend from the Upper Triassic until the Lower Cretaceous. Whether from England,
Scotland, Wales or the Peoples' Socialist Commonwealth of Dorset, there are fossil
sites playing your ancient mammalian national anthem. Nothing of the sort can yet be
said about Ireland, but that's what comes of having the wrong kind of rocks.
The coverage in this directory should include every known locality, bearing in mind
that sites with only small faunas will be tacked into other articles from
roughly the same time.
Upper Triassic
England:
Emborough Quarry, Somerset, Norian-Rhaetian.
A very concise article, aka short. This also incorporates a now unknown locality
somewhere in the vicinity of Watchet.
Lower Jurassic
England:
Holwell quarries, Somerset, Rhaetian-Liassic.
Windsor quarry, Somerset, Rhaetian-Liassic.
Wales:
Bridgend quarries, Glamorgan, Rhaetian-Liassic.
A group of four localities in the same area.
Middle Jurassic
England:
Hornsleasow Quarry,
Gloucestershire - as of May 2004, none of the eucynodont fossils have been described.
This is illustrated.
The Forest Marble Formation of Oxfordshire and
Dorset
This article will be revised. There are at least three localities in Oxfordshire, all
of which are presently lumped together.
Scotland:
Kilmaluag Formation, Isle of Skye
This article hasn't yet been written.
Upper Jurassic
England:
Presently, there are no described British eucynodont fossils for this slice
of time. It was earlier thought that Purbeckian mammals were Upper Jurassic, but
current opinion favours a lowermost Cretaceous age. However, there is a locality in
Wiltshire called Chicksgrove Quarry. Despite mammals having been collected from there
over a quarter of a century ago, no descriptions have yet been undertaken. Some
further comment will be tacked onto a Purbeckian article (see Lower Cretaceous).
Lower Cretaceous
England:
Dinazors o' Dorzet, Gyde fer Grockles. There's a listing of
dinos and mammals, suggestions for fossiling, museums, cream teas and several holiday
snapshots.
Purbeckian Mammals of the
Lower Cretaceous.
An alternative look at old Dorset. This includes An Ancient Purbeck Plod. Join the guided
tour back into deep time.
A further locality of probably Purbeckian age is a quarry near Wiltshire. Some information
on it will be incorporated at some time, as also applies for the somewhat earlier
Chicksgrove Quarry site (Upper Jurassic).
Wealden Mammals, Southeast England
Three localities have provided fossils from Sussex. These are younger than the
Purbeckian mammals, and similarly aged to the emerging fauna of the Isle of Wight's
Wessex Formation.
Wessex Formation, Isle of Wight. This location has
yielded a few remains, most of which are still undescribed.
Doing the Wessex walk,
the Isle of Wight during the Lower Cretaceous.
An alternative assault... I mean an account... I'm not sure. The manic Mesozoic
tourist guide strikes again. Light on mammals.
Upper Cretaceous
Britain was rather wet at the time as a result of being covered
with sea water. Living space for mammals was in short supply. As of yet, not a
mammalian sausage has been found there from this stretch of time. Something might
one day turn up. The Netherlands has a similar problem but recently managed a
tooth. Keep looking.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROJECT IS NOT SCIENTIFIC. IT IS A HOBBY.
"I was looking for information on an old mammal and found this lot. What is this
project?"
It's got lots of information on old mammals. For a short bit of background information, see
here.
Trevor Dykes, 16.6.2007. Most recent update:
Ktdykes@arcor.de
